If you read an hour a day in your field of interest and continue for a year, you would cover fifty two books. Fifty two books a year in your field of interest means you are advancing your knowledge in your field and are well on your way to becoming the expert. Continue the habit, specialize and you are the expert.
“The people at the very top don’t just work harder or even much harder than everyone else. They work much, much harder. The idea that excellence at performing a complex task requires a critical minimum level of practice surfaces again in studies of expertise. In fact, researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours.” (Gladwell, 2013)
“People who climb to the top of just about any field eclipse their peers through something as basic as deliberate practice.” (Grenny, 2013)
“Leaders should determine to spend a minimum of half an hour a day reading books that feed the soul and stimulate the mind.” (A.W. Tozer quote Sanders, 2007)
Leaders are readers. My mentors refer books to me on a continual basis. Their recommendations are critical to help me grow and develop. One of my key mentors is an avid reader. We communicate regularly and meet when possible. His Christmas card lists his best reads for the previous year. This list is an awesome resource for me to keep up to and emulate his skill.
Let’s learn to excel and give God the glory in everything we do.
Yours in Service,
Laurie D. Kennedy
Author, Leadership is Devotions for Servant Leaders